The Truth About Guns
Exploring the ethics, morality, business, politics, culture, technology, practice, strategy, dangers and fun of guns
Updated: 3 weeks 6 days ago
BALDWIN WALKS! Judge Dismisses Shooting Death Case Against Actor
In a surprise move late Friday afternoon, the judge presiding over the Alec Baldwin manslaughter trial dismissed the charges against the actor.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the charges with prejudice, meaning Baldwin cannot be tried again for the killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie Rust back in 2021. “There is no way for the court to right this wrong,” Judge Sommer said in dismissing the charges.
Baldwin had been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of Hutchins, a charge the movie’s armorer, Hanna Guiterrez-Reed, was found guilty of back in March and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The Walther PPK/S: Back in .32 ACP
The Walther PPK is a legendary design that paved the way for a half-century of handgun development. Like the real life and fictional heroes and villains that carried it, the PPK has become something of an archetype. It exists and has been little changed since it was introduced in 1931. But the landscape the PPK exists in did change. The end of World War II brought PPK production out of Germany for the first time.
Continue reading The Walther PPK/S: Back in .32 ACP at The Truth About Guns.
Biden’s Anti-Gun Quips Show Us That The Campaign’s On The Ropes
When it comes to U.S. politics, there are two big phases in a campaign: the primary and the general election. During the primary season, a candidate has to prioritize appealing to the people in his or her own party. This means that most candidates will appear more extreme, because winning that primary means building a coalition of people in the party.
But, once the primary is over, the rules of the game change.
AP Gun Article Relies on Inaccuracies, Reveals Bias in Reporting
Founded in 1846, the Associated Press describes itself as “the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business.” More than half of the world’s population is exposed to AP stories every day, the wire service claims.
Associated Press members, traditionally newspapers, pay an annual fee based on their circulation for access to AP wire stories. Larger newspapers pay more, sometimes millions of dollars.
New Jersey Congresswoman Says What Many Gun Banners Won’t
During a debate over a proposed amendment aimed at removing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) ability to establish a national gun registry, U.S. Rep. Bonnie Coleman, D-New Jersey, said what most gun-banners think but are hesitant to actually say out loud.
“I think it is a wonderful idea that we have a registry of every gun that is owned by a civilian in the United States of America because then we could have, perhaps, less killings in our neighborhoods, less killings at our supermarkets, less killings at our concerts, less killings period in the United States of America,” Coleman said.
Continue reading New Jersey Congresswoman Says What Many Gun Banners Won’t at The Truth About Guns.
KAK Industry Releases 7.62×25 Tokarev Complete AR Uppers & Barrels
Okay, I’ll admit right out of the gate this is an odd one, but I like oddball stuff, so I’m intrigued. KAK Industry has been teasing 7.62x25mm AR barrels and uppers on social media recently, and they’re now officially here.
The 7.62x25mm Cartridge
On the off chance you aren’t familiar with the 7.62x25mm round, it’s the cartridge that the Russian Tokarev pistol and PPSh-41 and PPS-43 submachineguns were chambered in. Those, along with the myriad of clones of those made throughout the former Comblock and China, as well as some unique designs like the Czech CZ-52 pistol and Sa-23/25 subguns.
Washington Post Gaslights Readers With Demagoguery and Deceit
Rachel Weiner over at the Washington Post treats the ever-shrinking readership to over 2,000 words of demagoguery and deceit when it comes to her analysis of the Bruen decision. That’s right, she tells readers how the Supreme Court didn’t really mean what it wrote in Bruen. “The Supreme Court said it has been misunderstood,” she wrote.
Here’s the Democratic Party activist with a byline’s highly sensationalistic opening to her gaslighting extravaganza.
Revolving Door of Justice Nearly Gets Two Chicago Cops Killed
A shooting attack on two Chicago police officers last month marked the 19th time already this year that a suspect turned loose on pretrial release attempted to kill or killed someone while awaiting their court date, according to a report at CWBChicago.com.
Derrien Johnson was on pretrial release for two felony gun cases when he fired several shots at a passing police car on June 3. After reviewing surveillance footage, police recognized Johnson and arrested him.
Opening Statements Completed, First Witness Questioned In Alec Baldwin Trial
Opening statements were made Wednesday in the involuntary manslaughter trial for actor Alec Baldwin, with prosecutors showing body cam videos of first-responders at the scene and painting Baldwin as a reckless person with little care for safe gun handling.
“The defendant takes [the gun] out quickly the first time pointed—and you will hear witness testimony who will tell you the first time he does it his finger is on or around the trigger,” Special Prosecutor Erlinda Johnson told the jury.
Gun Review: Colt’s Series 70 Competition Pistol
There is a great deal of storied history surrounding the 1911. Much of this history is backed up by military records not to mention Congressional investigations having to do with awarding the Medal of Honor. The Colt has figured into a number of important battles since its initial design for military use.
Though it was officially replaced by first the Beretta 92 and later the SIG P320, the 1911 still serves in some select units.
Continue reading Gun Review: Colt’s Series 70 Competition Pistol at The Truth About Guns.
Despite Constitutional Carry, New Orleans Head Cop Bans Guns In French Quarter
The New Orleans’ Police Superintendent is playing political games to try to stop lawful citizens from carrying firearms in one popular tourist area, despite the fact that state lawmakers just passed a constitutional carry law this spring.
New Gov. Jeff Landry just signed the state’s “permitless” carry law into effect on March 5, rolling back the requirement for citizens to acquire a permit to carry a concealed firearm for self-defense. Now, however, Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick is playing fast and loose with the new law to try to keep people—except criminals, of course—from carrying a gun in the famed French Quarter.
ATF Gets Generous Doling Out Trace Data to Anti-Gun Groups, Media
Someone at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) believes it is easier – or more politically convenient – to roll over to gun control activists and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit than it is to defend a federal law protecting firearm trace data.
For the second time in less than a year, the ATF chose to ignore the Tiahrt Amendment – the federal law that prohibits the disclosure of sensitive firearm trace data to anyone outside of law enforcement circles for use in a bona fide investigation – and instead released it to the public.
Chicago: Independence Day Weekend Sees Over 100 Shot, 21 Killed. Mayor Blames Nixon, Not Gangs
Murder City USA lived up to its moniker over the Independence Day weekend. Chicago accounted for between a third and half of all homicides nationwide over the extended Independence Day weekend. With all of the bodies accounted for, gang members in Chicago accounted for 21 killed and 89 more wounded, per HeyJackass.com.
With the body count on Monday had the homicides pegged at 19, two of the wounded have since crossed the rainbow bridge.
Supreme Court Justice’s Protective Detail Shoots Aspiring Carjacker Outside Sotomayor’s DC Residence
What happens when an 18-year-old thug brings his old, inferior S&W Sigma 9mm (but it has a laser!) to attempt a carjacking of trained U.S. Marshals guarding Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s residence in Washington, D.C.? Suffice it to say things didn’t go well for Kentrell Flowers. He got himself shot and his gun taken away.
So much for a brand new ride on this night. Maybe he should have gone to summer school instead of taking a carjacking apprenticeship to go along with his pre-med studies at Georgetown.
Virginia Store Clerk Defends Against Thief
In a dramatic turn of events, a convenience store employee at a gated Essex Food Store in Portsmouth, Virginia, defended himself against a thief last Thursday afternoon, resulting in the thief’s death.
It was around 2:25 p.m., when 27-year-old Rahsaan Nixon entered Essex with the stated intent to steal merchandise. This incident followed an attempted robbery by Nixon the previous night at the same store. According to a man interviewed by WAVY 10 in the store parking lot, Nixon had tried and failed to rob the store on Wednesday night, returning Thursday to repeat his crime.
Continue reading Virginia Store Clerk Defends Against Thief at The Truth About Guns.
Alec Baldwin Manslaughter Trial Begins Today
The trial for actor Alec Baldwin for the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the movie Rust began today in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with jury selection in the case.
Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the shooting of Hutchins, a charge the movie’s armorer, Hanna Guiterrez-Reed, was found guilty of back in March and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Hutchins was killed in October 2021 when Baldwin pointed a “prop gun” at Hutchins and pulled the trigger.
Continue reading Alec Baldwin Manslaughter Trial Begins Today at The Truth About Guns.
Accidental Discharge by Gun Shop Customer Leaves One Man Dead
Chad Wainscott, a 50-year-old farmer and grandfather from Worthville, Kentucky, was fatally shot at a local gun store after a fellow customer accidentally discharged a firearm. The tragic incident, which occurred June 29, took place at Humphrey Double H Farms Enterprises Inc., according to a Kentucky State Police (KSP) news release. It was also 100 percent avoidable had standard firearms safety procedures been followed.
The preliminary investigation by KSP revealed that another customer was handling a firearm for sale when a single round discharged, striking Wainscott, who was inside the store.
Court Challenge Filed Over D.C. ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban
If it seems like you’ve seen a lot of news about the Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) recently it’s because you have. The organizations is one of the most active in the nation at challenging unconstitutional firearm laws in courtrooms throughout the country.
In celebration of our uniquely American freedom, the day before Independence Day FPC announced a new lawsuit challenging Washington, D.C.’s, ban on common semi-automatic rifles. The case, Clemendor v. District of Columbia, which will be heard by the U.S.
Continue reading Court Challenge Filed Over D.C. ‘Assault Weapons’ Ban at The Truth About Guns.
Gear Review: Bushnell RXM-300 Reflex Sight
Bushnell has been making solid, affordable optics rugged enough for hunters for generations. When I saw their new RXM-300 come out earlier this year I suspected it might just fill the niche I was looking to fill for a recent build. I’m not heading into combat, but I do want an optic that’s going to be durable and reliable and will withstand harsh weather and some knocks or drops that might happen at the range or in the woods.
Continue reading Gear Review: Bushnell RXM-300 Reflex Sight at The Truth About Guns.
Important Carry Case Set to Start in Massachusetts Court
In one of the biggest decisions following the 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, a district court in Massachusetts ruled last August that the state’s law barring nonresidents from carrying a firearm in the commonwealth to be unconstitutional.
Now, the case, Commonwealth v. Dean F. Donnell, is set to begin the appeals phase before the State Supreme Judicial Court.
As some background, the case revolves around a New Hampshire man who was arrested and prosecuted for carrying a firearm in Massachusetts without a permit from that state.
Continue reading Important Carry Case Set to Start in Massachusetts Court at The Truth About Guns.